1. Field
The present invention relates generally to power amplifiers. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods, systems, and devices for multi-mode, multi-band power amplifiers.
2. Background
In a wireless communication system, a transmitter may process (e.g., encode and modulate) data to generate output samples. The transmitter may further condition (e.g., convert to analog, filter, frequency up-convert, and amplify) the output samples to generate an output radio frequency (RF) signal. The transmitter may then transmit the output RF signal via a wireless channel to a receiver. The receiver may receive the transmitted RF signal and perform the complementary processing on the received RF signal. The receiver may condition (e.g., amplify, frequency down-convert, filter, and digitize) the received RF signal to obtain input samples. The receiver may further process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the input samples to recover the transmitted data.
The transmitter may support multiple modes and multiple frequency bands. Each mode may correspond to a different radio technology, and each frequency band may cover a different range of frequencies. The transmitter may include a number of power amplifiers to support the multiple modes and the multiple bands. For example, each power amplifier may support a specific mode on a specific band. A relatively large number of power amplifiers may then be required for the transmitter, which may increase size and cost of the transmitter.
A need exists for an enhanced multi-mode, multi-band power amplifier. More specifically, a need exists for increasing power added efficiency and decreasing insertion loss of a multi-mode, multi-band power amplifier.